Shadows of Soleanna
by Thief Mistress Thorn
Summary: Yugi's got a new Xbox 360 and a Sonic the Hedgehog game! But things get suspicious when Yami Bakura gets bored... and suddenly Yugi and co. find themselves in Soleanna, battling alongside our favorite heroes... and villians of the Sonic the Hedgehog games
1. Chapter 1

A/n: Hey, peoples! It's been such a looooong time since I've had anything to do with Fanfics… but now I have new inspiration! What happens when a game of Sonic the Hedgehog turns into a Shadow Game??? And I'm talking Yu-Gi-Oh! Shadow game, NOT Shadow the Hedgehog. I got the game and beat it in one day, then saw a Yu-Gi-Oh! Game Shop in the older part of my city, and I dreamt this idea up. From there, I'm making a story!!! That's how the Twilight series started, you know. So hopefully this is a success, too! (But maaaaybe on a smaller scale…)

Key to mind-reading:

//Yami's thoughts//

/Yugi's thoughts/

::Bakura (Yami)'s thoughts::

:Ryou Bakura's thoughts:

Oh! I almost forgot! Today our disclaimer will be from Silver the Hedgehog! Take it away Silver!

Silver: Umm… how did I get here?

TMT: Don't question the power of writing. Now Disclaim!

Silver: Alright, well… Thief Mistress Thorn does NOT own Microsoft (you'll see what I mean), Yu-Gi-Oh!, Or SEGA games, or Sonic the Hedgehog. Or me. O-or Shadow… or Blaze… *gasp* *pant*

TMT: Good enough, thanks Silver! Now get in the story! *Jams into computer*

Silver: ?!?!?!

Here we go!

**Chapter 1: Let's play Sonic the Hedgehog!**

A/n: Every story (well, almost every) needs a foundation, which usually consists of boring introductions, explanations, etc. etc. Bare with me, peoples! I want to see some speedy shadow game action as much as you hopefully do!

"Hey, guys! Come look! I won a free Xbox 360!" A certain enthusiastic hero exclaimed. "I got it as a prize from a local tournament!"

"You mean the one that Joey got creamed in??" Tristan snorted.

"Watch it, Tristan. At least I played in it, unlike yo--"

"Oh, shut up and listen." Tea growled. This served to quiet the two rowdier boys.

"O-okay… well, I also got this Sonic the Hedgehog game to go with it!"

"Well, what're you waiting for?! Get this thing set up so I can show Tristan who's boss!"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! I-"

Tea sighed. She knew very well it took more than a simple scolding to mute those two.

Yugi scrambled behind the television and began to entwine cords of different colors and sizes between the already-complex wiring of their living room TV. It was then that the familiar jingle of someone entering the Kame Game Shop went off.

"Yugi, will you get that?" A rusty but kind voice called from the kitchen.

"Got it, Grandpa!" Yugi replied, and ran to the storefront.

"Bakura!" Yugi exclaimed. It wasn't often that Ryou Bakura paid the Game Shop a visit.

"Er, hello, Yugi. I was in the neighborhood and I wanted to look at some cards, s-so…"

"Perfect! You know, I was just setting up an Xbox 360 in the back… would you like to play with us?"

"Oh… sure!" Ryou replied. He smiled sweetly and Yugi gestured him to the back room. Ryou looked around. It was so different from his little empty apartment. It was… cozy. Almost homey. That didn't last long, as Joey and Tristan looked up in shock. The albino stepped back, obviously intimidated.

"Eh… hi, Bakura." Joey said bluntly.

"H-hello. I heard you guys have an Xbox now!" he stammered, obviously trying to start conversation. While Joey and Tristan went about their arguing, Tea made her best effort to help Ryou feel at home. Which, obviously, wasn't working so well. The poor boy looked like a cat hanging by its tail over the ocean.

Yami roused inside the Millenium puzzle.

//Yugi… I sense that Bakura is hiding something… are you sure you can trust him so easily? After Battle City?//

/Sure I'm sure./ Yugi thought back. /Anyone would be nervous, the ways Joey and Tristan bicker./ He giggled to himself. These mind conversations were growing on him. He expected to start talking to himself one of these days… he didn't notice his Other Self's suspicion lingered.

"There! I think I have it!" Yugi exhaled, exhausted. Crawling through those wires while also avoiding electrocution/getting his hair caught was harder than it sounds.

"Well, then! Let's fire this baby up!" Joey suggested.

"Alright. Well, it's a one-player game. You start with only Sonic, then you unlock Shadow and Silver, which is apparently a new character." Yugi gathered from the back cover.

"Hmm. Well, it says here that there's a two-player mode…" Joey pointed out.

"Yeah, but wouldn't you like to learn how to played first?" Tristan also pointed out.

"I agree with Tristan." Yugi mused. Bakura nodded, and Tea shrugged, propped her legs up on the coffee table, and grabbed about five magazines to peruse. This would be awhile.

"Yug, you do the honors; you won it."

"Oh, alright." Yugi picked up the white controller and pressed "Start", as the title screen indicated. He started a new game, and the Introduction began.

_Intro: Soleanna, the beautiful city on water, was celebrating the Feast of the Sun God, Solaris, with a fireworks festival. A large boat floats into the city, carrying a stunningly beautiful girl who is waving and laughing to the crowd on land._(Joey and Tristan whistle)_ The boat lands at a small artificial island in the centre of the waterway. She walks towards an intricate statue made of many pillars twisting and turning with each other until they reach the top: a large marble bowl. People in robes stand all around her, each hood hiding a solemn face. One hooded figure hands her an ornate torch, alit with dancing flame, and steps back. The girl stares into the flame…_

_Her eyes widen as she watches an inferno engulf her city; and she is helpless to stop it. A strange, god-like creature rises from the inferno… Three green eyes fixated on her… and it lets out a mighty roar…_

"_Miss Elise?"_

_The girl, Elise, snaps back into reality._

"_It- it's alright," she replied._

_She faces the bishop and bows, each cloaked figure mimicking her flawlessly._

_She begins, "We give thanks for the blessed flames. May we always continue to have peace. Sun of Soleanna, guide and watch over us with your eternal light."_

_She places the torch and a well-crafted perch, and the intricate statue bursts to life. The crowd is in wonder, as they gaze at the beautiful architecture (and in some cases, the beautiful girl…). They all cheer and give praise. Fireworks light the sky once more, the finale for a momentous occasion._

_When suddenly…_

_Missiles and bombs rocket out of seemingly nowhere._

"_Agh!" Elise shrieks._

_A large machine flies overhead, releasing more and more weapons and robots. Each robot perches itself on the artificial island, surrounding and trapping the girl. A strange hovercraft lowers in front of her only escape, revealing a tall, plump man with a walrus mustache in a mocking bow. His mustache is bright orange, matching his fire-red and gold uniform. Strange blue goggle-glasses hang above a crooked nose. Still mocking, he says: _

"_A pleasure to meet you at last, Princess of Soleanna. I am Dr. Eggman. I've come here to obtain the secret of the Flames of Disaster from you, and to take the miracle gem that is the key to its secret: the Chaos Emerald! Now, Princess, this way, please…" he gestures to an empty seat on his hovercraft. The girl backs away, clutching the mystical gem in her possession. Suddenly, a Blue Tornado surrounds Elise. When it stops, a blue hedgehog smiles and says, "My, that's a pretty snazzy performance!"_

"_You?!" Elise wonders. She remembers a silver hedgehog… "No, it can't be…" she sighed, suddenly disappointed._

_All of the robots open fire on the blue hedgehog. He evades the attack, and, with a speed unparalleled by any other creature, he vanishes and reappears to attack, and vanishes again._

_When every robot within a five-yard range was destroyed, he swept over to the princess and said, "I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog!" He picked her up and carried her off, running as fast as possible. Dr. Eggman balled up his fists. "Not that irritating hedgehog again!" he spat. "ATTACK!!!" Elise looked back and screamed. Missiles were coming at them from all sides. However, Sonic managed to escape every blow. Above all of the raucous, perched atop a church, a silver-colored hedgehog stood observing. "I've finally found him… the Iblis Trigger." his gloved hand curled into a fist, revealing green glowing marks all over his hands and feet. _

_End Intro_

"Intense." Joey murmured. Then, coming back to life, "Man!! Now I'm all fired up! Hurry up, Yugi, I wanna play!"

"You're such a child," Tea snorted. Tristan laughed.

"I kind of like that white one…"

"Tch. Looked like a freak to m-- ow!" Joey was silence by Tea's elbow connecting with his rib…

Yugi shook his head and began the actual game…

**-To be continued-**

Whew! Okay, I know that was boring, especially for those who've already played the game, but it was necessary for those who haven't. Now, let's really get into the game… literally! Meanwhile… R&R! I need some encouragement for the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: Not much to say up here, I just wanna get into the next chapter! So for this Disclaimer, we have… ah! Grandpa Moto! Take it away, Gramps!

Grandpa: Well, what a sweet young girl.

TMT's friends: (Yeah, riiiight.)

TMT: Hush, you peoples! Why, thank you sir. Disclaim, if you will.

Grandpa: Of course, of course. *Ahem* Thief Mistress Thorn does NOT own Microsoft or any of their products such as the Xbox 360; nor does she own SEGA or Yu-Gi-Oh! Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go take a nap. I recently found this weird lump in my back and--

TMT: OKAYYY! Thank you, Grandpa Moto. Now onto the story!

Guide to mind reading:

//Yami's thoughts//

/Yugi/

::Bakura (Yami)::

:Bakura Ryou:

**Chapter 2: Arriving in Soleanna, Part 1**

(Yugi's living room, Kame Game Shop.)

::Is this a form of mortal torture nowadays? When do I get the Puzzle!::

:I am just trying to be normal. Besides, if I'm good friends with Yugi, doesn't that get you closer to his Puzzle?:

::Ah! You're catching on, yadonushi*!::

Ryou hated using such an evil excuse, but he was desperate to have a friend. He had to admit though, watching Yugi play was pretty boring… unless you're Joey or Tristan, who were really into the game.

::Hmm… _into _the game, you say…::

:What are you up to?:

::You don't need to know. Now, sleep.::

:Oh, no…:

Ryou was no longer in control of the albino body. Now, it belonged to the ancient spirit of the Thief King.

"Say, Yugi, mind if I give it a shot?"

"Umm… sure, Bakura. Just gimme a sec… there. Here you go." Yugi smiled and handed 'Ryou' the controller.

:Don't do it!: a faint voice called.

//YUGI!//

/What?! What's wrong?/

//That's… not Bakura!//

/Huh?!/

"Hehehehe… HAHAHAHAHA!" Bakura cackled.

"Aww, man! Not again!" Joey shouted.

The TV screen turned purple… and everyone was sucked in.

:Still bored?:

::Nope.::

**Soleanna**

"Nngh… Where… where am I?"

"Hey there! You awake?"

Yugi opened his eyes… and they were met with those of a blue hedgehog.

"Uwah! You… you're Sonic!"

"Sonic the Hedgehog! Yup, that's me!"

"I am so confused…"

"Well, you can come along with me, if you want. I have a good feeling about you. But I warn you! I'm in a hurry!"

/Well, Yami? Should we go with him? Yami?/

No response.

/Oh no, we must've gotten separated…/

"Uhh… hello?"

"Oh. Sorry! I spaced out…"

/Well, he IS the hero of the game… who knows? Maybe he can lead me to the others. And Yami…/

"Right… uh, hey. About your hair…"

Yugi sighed, "Yes, it's natural."

"Cool! Well, we should get going… I need to collect information about Dr. Eggman! I wonder where he is…?"

Yugi fought the urge to tell him that he already knew, because he'd already passed this part of the game. But he knew if he did, that would make him look suspicious. So instead, he said, "Oh, well look! I think that woman might know something!" He pointed towards a woman that he'd talked to before in order to get some information and trigger an event. Even though he was anxious for his friends, and his darker half, Yugi knew he had to be patient to get to them.

"All right! Let's get going!" Sonic encouraged. "Hey, miss?" he asked. "Can you help me? I'm looking for someone…"

"Oh! You must mean that two-tailed fox! He's that way… near the center of town. You can't miss it; there's a big fountain there."

"Oh, okay! Um, thanks, lady!" And with that, Sonic seemed to forget about Eggman for the moment and instead explained to Yugi while running that that must've been his friend, Tails. Yugi was having a hard time keeping up, so Sonic was sympathetic and slowed his pace a bit. When they reached the square, a sequence was activated, not to Yugi's surprise. What was surprising, however, was that alongside Tails was Tristan.

"Hey, Yugi! You know where we are? It's like we got sucked into the gaa-" Yugi cupped his hand over Tristan's mouth. Suddenly, Tristan seemed to realize he couldn't call the game a 'game' in front of the game characters…

"Friend of yours?" Sonic guessed.

"Yup."

"No offense, but it doesn't seem like you guys are from around here."

"That's right…"

"Huh. Well, okay. Hey Tails!"

"Sonic!" Tails responded. "Did you hear about Eggman? I don't know what he's up to, but I'm sure it can't be good! "

Sonic nodded.

"Let's look around for clues about where he is now! Hey, who are you?" he asked Yugi.

"That's Yugi, a friend of mine." Tristan explained. Tails nodded in understanding.

"We'll help you look around," Yugi offered.

"Sounds good! Let's go!" Sonic said. "Yugi, you wanna come with me?"

"Sure," Yugi replied, "But Tristan…"

"Don't worry about me, Yugi. I was just making friends with Tails here. Cool name, isn't it?"

Tails blushed. "Aww, well thanks."

"So we'll meet back here soon." Yugi said.

"Sure." Sonic agreed. "Now c'mon!"

With that, the inpatient hedgehog an a funny-haired hero dashed off to rescue a princess.

Meanwhile…

"Ow… that hurt." Tea grumbled. She'd landed not-so-gracefully on her bottom.

"Need help?" a girlish voice asked. Tea looked up. There stood a pink-headed girl with a red dress, smiling in a very friendly fashion.

"Hi there!" The girl tried again. "I'm Amy Rose. What's your name?"

"I… I'm Tea. Tea Gardener."

"Oh, pretty! Well, c'mon! Don't just sit there!"

"Wai-whoa!" Tea gasped. This little girl just hauled Tea to her feet.

"I'm looking for someone at the moment… wanna come with me?" Amy asked. Her eyes were so kind, Tea couldn't resist. "Well, okay… actually, I'm looking for someone too--"

"Oh, really? Is it a boy?" Amy playfully hinted out.

"Well, yes, but--"

"Awwww!" She sighed affectionately, " Is this boy a _boyfriend_?"

"No, but--"

"Oh_, I _see! Well, let's go find them!"

"Yeah, my girlish intuition tells me he's nearby…" Tea thought aloud. It was like she could sense Yugi.

"I think we're going to get along great!" Amy giggled.

"Hehe… yeah!" Tea laughed.

So, the two set off, in pursuit of their boys.

**Crisis City**

"Oh my… where on Earth am I? Is this a dream? A nightmare?" Ryou whimpered. His Yami had locked him into the darkest corners of their shared mind… and somehow he'd ended up here? Everywhere Ryou turned, it resembled Domino City, on the day of the apocalypse. Everything looked as though a volcano had swallowed it… the only pieces of city remaining were the tops of skyscrapers and highways, all bent and twisted into loops and such. Off in the distance, it looked like there were monsters…

"Hello? Sir? What are you doing here?" a voice interrupted his train of thought. Startled, Ryou turned. His eyes were met with those of a silver hedgehog… the one on the back cover of Yugi's game.

"A-aah!" Ryou gasped, and fell back on his bottom.

"No, don't be scared! I thought humans didn't live here anymore…" the hedgehog mumbled, obviously suspicious. Ryou was used to this.

"I don't remember anything… where am I?" Ryou wondered.

"You're in Crisis City," a purple cat said.

"Blaze!" Silver exclaimed, relieved.

"Hello, young man. I am Blaze the Cat. This is…" Blaze motioned to the hedgehog.

"Silver. Silver the Hedgehog." Silver said, flustered.

"U-uh… I'm Ryou… and I have no idea how I got here." Ryou murmured shyly.

"You know, I think you two are a lot alike," Blaze giggled. Then she became serious again and turned to Silver, saying, "There is a fire tornado West of here."

Silver nodded, understanding something Ryou didn't. "Do you think it is..?"

"There's no doubt in my mind. It has to be Iblis."

Silver nodded once more, then began to glow green and shot off in what was apparently the Western direction. Ryou wondered how they could tell direction; there was no sun in the sky. Only black plume and red clouds.

"So, Roy- ooh." Blaze pronounced the name slowly, like a new addition to her vocabulary. Ryou could see that she had a strong, kind and brave spirit; he trusted her immediately. "Ryou," she said again, "I suppose I should fill you in."

Ryou nodded, pleadingly.

"Silver has always known this world; but I know this is not how it should be. The reason for all of this is what we call Iblis… he is a god of sorts. He wreaked destruction upon this world long ago… and now the once- beautiful Earth has become an awful place where everything and everyone struggle to survive. Very few humans are found anymore… which is why Silver wasn't sure how to speak to you. He is also… shy. But you should come with us. We will keep you safe… and honestly, I sense a great power within you, child. A power very similar to that of Silver's… But, who am I to say that? Come, let's get to safety. That tornado is dangerous, and until Silver can beat it, you are not safe."

"What about you?" Ryou asked. He did not want to be alone here.

"I… must go help him. But I will come back. I'll take you to our hideout. You should be okay there."

Yes, Ryou was scared. But the thought of those two animal-people dying and him being left here alone was unbearable. "N-no. I have to go with you." he decided. His jaw was set, and he held and expression that only a cruel soul like his Yami could erase. Blaze gave in. "Can you fight?" she asked.

"Umm, no… but I think I know people who can." Ryou reached into his back pocket and pulled out his Duel Deck. :Bakura must have put these here so we can participate in his game… I suppose to get out of here, I must fight!:

"…Ryou, that's paper." Blaze stated. Ryou couldn't help but smile. :That's what they all say…: he thought. He shook his head and shouted, "Change of Heart, aid me!"

…And a moment later, a half fallen angel and half risen demon stood in front of Ryou.

"Oh my," Blaze gasped.

"Didn't see that one coming?" Ryou chuckled.

"N-no.."

Ryou simply smiled, and gestured a courteous "after you,". Blaze snapped out of it quickly and led the way through the dilapidated city.

---

And this is where I will leave off, making those of you who haven't played the game wonder what happens next. Yes, I will explain what happens to EVERYONE before I move on. *sigh* And that is A LOT of writing. Oh well, as long as you like it, I shall persevere! Thank you to the small amount of reviewers so far. I appreciate your input!

**Review! You know you want to~**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:** I own not Sega nor Yu-Gi-Oh. So read and know this was not stolen! And review, why don't you?**

**Chapter 3: Arriving in Soleanna, Part 2**

"What the heck is goin on?" Joey wondered aloud. He was surrounded by trees; the blue sky was barely visible through the thick canopy lingering above his head. Bird calls and rustling plants were the only sounds he heard as he walked along a small winding pathway. He swatted at bugs and mumbled when a mosquito feasted on his bare arms. He was quite thankful he'd worn jeans that day. The weather, at least, was considerably pleasant; a bit warm, perhaps, but a nice breeze washed through the forest and refreshed him on an eerily periodic basis. It was a very soothing environment, minus the mosquitoes. That is, until…

"Gyyyyah! Huwah! Gaaaaah!"

…followed by the sound of crumbling rocks.

"Nngh?! What the hell?!" Joey started. He rushed through the greenery to the source of the shout, and was greeted with rock shards in his face.

"Woah! Watch it!" came a voice. Joey looked around, and standing out in this green-and-rocky clearing was a red… echidna? _Weird,_ Joey thought… _Wai--Wha?! It talks?!?!_

"You need to be more careful." The echidna grumbled. "Oh, and by the way, I'm Knuckles."

"Yeah, and I'm Elbows," Joey snorted.

"…that's a strange name."

Joey sweat dropped. "No, I was just kiddin'… I'm Joey. Er, nice to meetcha."

"Same."

"Uh, what was that sound earlier? Where did those pebbles come from??"

"I think it's better to show you," Knuckles mused. "This way."

"O-okay…."

Knuckles led Joey through tall plants and under bent tree branches to another clearing, with a beautiful waterfall and tons of mossy boulders. The place looked ancient, and glorious. "Woah," was all Joey could say.

"Stay here and watch." Knuckles commanded.

"You're not gonna ditch me, are ya?"

"No, but I thought you wanted to see where those rock pieces that flew at your came from." Knuckles smiled, rather smugly.

"Oh, right. Mmkay." Joey plopped down next to the pool underneath the waterfall, and let his hand float on the surface of the rushing water.

Knuckles walked over and examined a boulder about five times his size, looked back to make sure Joey was paying attention… then punched the boulder.

_Ccck-ckk-KOOOOOOM!_

Hazardous pieces of rocks and dust flew everywhere. Joey flinched and coughed. When he opened his eyes, Knuckles was smiling in his direction, triumphant and pleased.

"You have GOT to teach me how to do that." Joey whistled.

"Sorry, it's a secret!" Knuckles replied.

"Aw, too bad." Joey smiled back. _Cool little thing,_ he thought. _Wait a sec, is this real?! This guy looks like a video game charact-- Oh, no. _The flashback came, with Bakura's mad cackling and the purple vortex-thingy. Joey remembered, clear as day.

"Oh, crap." his smile fell.

"Huh? What's up?" Knuckles asked.

"I need to find my friends." Joey subconsciously replied. His mind was too focused on remembering how far Yugi got in the game… but he hadn't met this red animal yet.

"I know just the hedgehog to find someone in a hurry." Knuckles offered.

"Huh? You mean Sonic?"

"Yeah… wait a sec. how do you know him?"

"He's a popular guy." Joey shrugged. _Then I really AM in the game,_ he thought.

"Tch. What a showoff." Knuckles mumbled, then stalked off grumbling to himself. Joey followed in a hurry.

------

"Oof!"

"Hey, you okay?" came the faint voice.

"…"

"Come on, wake up! Say something!" the voice urged.

_Whose voice is that? Tea? … no, too deep. Mai, perhaps? Definitely a woman…_

The former Pharaoh opened his eyes and met those of a strange, overgrown bat. Obviously a girl, clad in black, pink and purple.

_This is a strange dream._

"Oh, thank goodness. I thought you were dead!" the bat sighed. "It's not polite to scare a lady like that," she scolded halfheartedly.

"Where am I?"

"Hmm? Oh, we're in Dr. Eggman's base."

_Dr. Eggman? Like the villain from Yugi's game? Oh, no, no… did Bakura…?_

"Dr… Eggman?"

"He's a bad guy. I'm here to retrieve this," she held up a scepter with a strange, unsettling aura.

"And that is…?"

"That's kind of confidential."

"I see."

"Now all I have to do is get out of here… oh! I'm so sorry! How rude of me. I'm Rouge. Rouge the Bat. And you are…?"

"You can call me Yami."

"Okay, Yah-mee," she giggled, "let's get outta here. I've got a rendezvous I can't miss."

"Uh, okay…"

"Ha, don't worry. Just follow me! Oh, and… can you fight?"

"Hold on a second." Yami searched his pockets, and smiled when he found his Deck. He withdrew them and sifted through them until he came across the Celtic Guardian.

"Uh, Yami? I don't really have time to play card games right now…" Rouge stated, impatient.

"Come forth, Celtic Guardian!" Yami commanded, and within seconds the Celtic Guardian materialized in front of him.

"Well hello, handsome." Rouge whispered, astounded. The Celtic Guardian paid no heed to her and shot Yami a look, wandering what he was doing alive and in the flesh. Well, flesh as far as Shadow Magic goes.

"I need you to aid myself and this woman, Rouge, out of here." Yami explained. The Guardian simply nodded.

"There'll be robots everywhere," Rouge warned. "Can you handle them?"

The Guardian responded by unsheathing his sword and slashing open a security camera facing the opposite direction.

"Oh." was all Rouge had to say. "Quick! This way!" she urged.

//Yugi, you awake?//

Echoes of his call were all that came back.

//Yugi…? Yugi?!//

//Ra damnit! Bakura separated us!//

"Uh, Yami? You alright?" Rouge asked, concern on her face.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, don't worry about it."

"If you say so…"

//Yugi, where in this world are you??//

**About 300 smashed robots later…**

"Whew! What a workout!" Rouge laughed, stretching her wings.

"*Gasp* Easy. For. *Pant* You to say," Yami wheezed. He hadn't ran like that in millenia, whereas this batty batwoman just glided over the whole area. Yami's pants were heavy with cold water, from the melted snow. Wherever he was, it was very, very cold, he noted with a shiver.

The Celtic Guardian also looked worn out, even though it wasn't technically a living thing.

"Come on, there should be an escort here for me! Just past this wall…

Rouge walked up to a large metallic gate, which slid open with motion sensors.

"Ha! Dr. Eggman can't outsmart me-- Shadow?! Why you…?!?!"

Yami looked up and saw a black-and-red hedgehog, the same one off the back cover of Yugi's game!

"It's a request from the president himself. Now let's move. I found a buggy stationed over there loaded with missiles, and… who is that?" He regarded Yami with a slight distaste and plenty of suspicion.

"He's a friend," Rouge assured him. "He helped me escape."

Shadow nodded in Yami's direction, apparently a greeting. Yami waved back and mouthed hello.

"Hurry up, I need to break these searchlight pillars if we want the outer gate to open," Shadow grumbled.

He motioned Rouge and Yami to take a seat in the back of the buggy. "Hang on tight Yami, he's an insane driver," Rouge informed him. Yami grasped the back of the front seat firmly and nodded.

Shadow grunted and backed off of a small mound of snow, then shot off towards the courtyard. It looked like some sort of prison, with a huge labyrinth built to keep intruders out and everything else in.

Yami was wise to heed Rouge's warning. If he hadn't, he'd have flung out of this small vehicle numerous times by now.

"So, Yami, where are you from? Why were you in Dr. Eggman's base?" Rouge asked casually. She seemed not to notice that they were being shot at from numerous directions by golem-like robots.

"Uh, I honestly have no idea." Yami replied. That wasn't the full truth; he knew where he came from, he just didn't know how he ended up in Dr. Eggman's base. Or separated from Yugi. Or why his cards could come to life.

"Okay… tell me a little about yourself."

Well, she's just a video game character, and she seems nice… why not? Yami decided.

"Well, I lost all of my memories in an incident years ago. I have no recollection of who I am, or where I came from. I have friends who are helping me regain my memories, but so far all I know is that I'm really, really old." Yami laughed. It felt good to say it so nonchalantly.

Shadow slammed on the breaks. "Incident?" he snarled. Yami jumped at the sudden change in atmosphere, but kept his calm and nodded slowly in response.

Shadow and Rouge exchanged looks. Rouge nodded and Shadow looked back to the road, dodging everything with perfect accuracy.

"You sound just like Shadow. He was involved in an incident on the Space Colony ARK. It's a scientific laboratory up in outer space, not too far away from the moon. It was attacked, and he also lost his memories when he was sent to Earth…" Rouge explained. Yami nodded understandingly.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Why are you sorry?" Shadow murmured.

"Well, I don't know… don't you ever miss your past life though?" he stuttered, caught off guard by the question.

"Were you involved in the ARK?" Shadow countered.

"No, no not at all. This is the first I've heard of it," Yami assured the skeptical hedgehog.

"Hmm. This is the last searchlight." Shadow noted with satisfaction. He proceeded to shoot it down with astounding accuracy.

A large gate to their right slid down to the ground, and Yami knew it was over. Shadow drove into a small garage and put some information into a computer. A strange platform next to the computer lit up.

"Step there." Shadow said. Yami and Rouge stood on the platform, followed by Shadow after he'd smashed the computer. A purple light engulfed them… and the next thing he knew, Yami was in a small, strange room with a giant screen with a map on it and tons of keyboards and control panels surrounding him. To his left, there was a giant portrait of a beautiful young girl with fiery red hair and azure-blue eyes… just like the one from the game introduction. He realized. No surprise, must be part of the game.

"Ah, Soleanna. The city of water. It's a constitutional monarchy, you know. It's primary industries are tourism and crafting precision machinery. The current sovereign is Princess Elise, the Third." She informed.

"You are quite the expert." Yami noted.

"Why thank you." she smiled.

"Why does Eggman's base lead to an odd place like this?" Shadow wondered.

"How should I know? I just followed my orders and retrieved the item. Anyway, I have a little favor to ask of you. Could you escort me to the GUN rendezvous point?"

"Where's the rendezvous point?"

Rouge's gloved hand pointed to the maplike screen. "There," she gestured to the red area in the top right corner, "It's the ancient castle of Soleanna, in Kingdom Valley."

"Hhmph. Let's get a move on." He decided.

Yami knew he had a long day ahead of him.

_------_

_Alright, I have to note that Knuckles was probably very out of character, I know. I'm not a big expert on him at all. I just know he's a hotheaded treasure hunter who likes to smash stuff. I know that scene with Knuckles was not in the game, but I had to explain where he and Joey were and how they met, so there you go!_

_Also, I tried to stick to the script as much as possible. I know I skipped around a bit with Rouge and Shadow, so if you don't get it, let me know so I can fix it. I honestly made this in a hurry once I realized how many people reviewed. _

_While I'm talking about reviewers, let me thank you all for taking a minute out of your day to comment on my silly story. You guys are the only reason I continue! Thank you bunches._

_I noticed a lot of you wanted Yami to meet Shadow, and that was what I had planned from the start, so I was more than happy to write up that part. As for Bakura, who knows where he is? Well, I do, but you all will have to wait and find out, hehe._

_Until next time, Adieu!_


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